Purchased: 330ml bottle from a St. Feuillien Gift Set bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013
Style/ABV: Abbey Tripel, 8.5%
Style/ABV: Abbey Tripel, 8.5%
Reported IBUs: ?
Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)
Wrapping up with the St. Feuillien beers...tonight I'm looking at the strongest (well...tied for the strongest) and hopefully most tasty beer from the St. Feuillien Gift Set. About St. Feuillien:
St. Feuillien is is an Abbey-stye brewery based out of Le Roeulx, Belgium, founded in 1873. The brewery's history goes back to the 7th century, when an Irish monk by the name Feuillien came to Belgium to preach the Gospel. Unfortunately...while traveling through Le Roeulx, Feuillien was martyred and beheaded. In memory of Feuillien, his disciples built a chapel in 1125, which became the Abbey of Prémontrés, later known as the Abbaye St-Feuillien du Roeulx. The Abbey prospered until the French Revolution. St. Feuillien makes use of natural ingredients, centuries-old brewing methods, and (I believe) all their beers are bottle conditioned. You can read more about them HERE.
Tonight's beer, the St. Feuillien Tripel, is described as having aromatic hops, spices, and a fruity bouquet. Basically...it's a Tripel. There's not a whole lot else to say, except to glass it up. If you're unfamiliar with one of beer's best styles, check out the BJCP and pick yourself up some Tripels.
This one pours a hazy straw/orange/gold color in low light, with a finger's worth of creamy, off-white head. I did pour this one slowly, like a boss. In bright light, this beer is juicy like orange juice, with a vibrant and tropical orange/yellow body. There's a ton of carbonation streaming upwards in this, and the head is dense, white, and sustaining. I know the glass is all sex, but this is a great looking beer too.
The aroma on this is bright, fruity, and malty, with lots and lots of big citrus kick. I'm getting sweet pineapple, sweet mango, oranges, candi sugar, candied fruits, perfume and floral, a bit of clove and white sugar, and some big apple juice.
Mmm..this really has a dense, creamy, oily mouthfeel, with lots of subtle spice, a bit of powder/dust, and tons of completely subtle/hidden booze that goes undetected in the back. It stays undetected until this hits your belly. I'm getting white sugar, clove, white pepper, Belgian funk/barnyard, pears, white grapes, citrus, candi sugar, and some grain/Pils malt. Hop bitterness does make itself present, but it plays off the Belgian fruitiness and sugary sweetness. This is unmistakably boozy, but like the best Tripels, it hides the booze so well.
This is full-bodied, with a creamy/oily/dense mouthfeel, helped out by lively carbonation, and plenty of complexity to boot. You get hop bitterness in the back, trailing booze, and some powder/dust. Palate depth is great. For the style, I feel like you can get more complexity, but I won't dog this. You get cream, fruit, clove, and spice up front; this transitions into spice, bitterness, citrus, Pils malt; the back end is lingering malt/hops, dust/powder, trailing fruit...it finishes fairly attenuated and a touch dusty.
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| St. Feuillien Triple |
This one pours a hazy straw/orange/gold color in low light, with a finger's worth of creamy, off-white head. I did pour this one slowly, like a boss. In bright light, this beer is juicy like orange juice, with a vibrant and tropical orange/yellow body. There's a ton of carbonation streaming upwards in this, and the head is dense, white, and sustaining. I know the glass is all sex, but this is a great looking beer too.
The aroma on this is bright, fruity, and malty, with lots and lots of big citrus kick. I'm getting sweet pineapple, sweet mango, oranges, candi sugar, candied fruits, perfume and floral, a bit of clove and white sugar, and some big apple juice.
Mmm..this really has a dense, creamy, oily mouthfeel, with lots of subtle spice, a bit of powder/dust, and tons of completely subtle/hidden booze that goes undetected in the back. It stays undetected until this hits your belly. I'm getting white sugar, clove, white pepper, Belgian funk/barnyard, pears, white grapes, citrus, candi sugar, and some grain/Pils malt. Hop bitterness does make itself present, but it plays off the Belgian fruitiness and sugary sweetness. This is unmistakably boozy, but like the best Tripels, it hides the booze so well.
This is full-bodied, with a creamy/oily/dense mouthfeel, helped out by lively carbonation, and plenty of complexity to boot. You get hop bitterness in the back, trailing booze, and some powder/dust. Palate depth is great. For the style, I feel like you can get more complexity, but I won't dog this. You get cream, fruit, clove, and spice up front; this transitions into spice, bitterness, citrus, Pils malt; the back end is lingering malt/hops, dust/powder, trailing fruit...it finishes fairly attenuated and a touch dusty.
Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)
I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. I guess I'm not ready to push this into truly divine territory, but this beer is very close. I'll have to revisit this down the road....there's a really nice bitterness on the back end of this and in the finish, which I might keep in mind if I'm recommending this beer for certain situations. For me, I'd pair this with strong cheeses, smoked fish, muscles, a burger, french fries with truffle oil, potatoes with spices, or a rustic and hearty dish. This is seriously solid stuff, and of the three St. Feuillien beers I've had so far, this might be the winner? It's hard to say, since the Blond and Dubbel were both great.
Random Thought: Wheat beers and Belgian beers got me into craft beer. I've always been attracted to Hefeweizens, and during my true foray into craft beer, I went on a big Belgian kick. I love Belgian Strongs, Dubbels, and Tripels...I also enjoy Saisons quite a bit. If you are new to beer and want to wander off the beaten path of IPAs, try some Belgian beers.
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